”The dry grasses are not dead for me. A beautiful form has as much life at one season as another.”
Snow is predicted starting tonight, our first real snow of the winter. Five inches are possible. I have pre-snow chores and errands before I hunker down. Mostly I need animal stuff, things like bird seed, ice melt safe for the dogs and a few of cans of dog food. As for this human, I only need cream for my coffee, but I’m also thinking a bit of chocolate, maybe a whoopie pie.
I wouldn’t have thought snow is predicted. Today is pretty with a light blue sky and muted sun. It is cold, but it is February, our coldest, snowiest month.
Where I lived in Ghana was the hottest part of the country. We had two seasons, the rainy and the dry. This time of year, the harmattan, had the worst weather. The days were the hottest, the nights the coldest. The air was dry and dusty from sand blown down from the Sahara. It looked like brown fog and made for poor visibility so even driving was difficult. I remember getting a deep cough from all that dust. My students called it a catarrh. My lips and feet cracked. I’d line my shower room walls with filled buckets of water for bucket baths as the water was often turned off. The nights were cold. I loved feeling cold and snuggling under a wool blanket on my bed. That same blanket is folded on the back part of my couch. I never realized back then how really scratchy it is.
The harmattan had some advantages. The mosquitos disappeared. Laundry dried quickly. There was less humidity and less sweat. I remember passing compounds and seeing corn and onions spread out so they could dry and last longer.
The disadvantages outweighed the advantages. It never rained. Everything was dried and brown. The surfaces in my house were covered in dust, always, even after being cleaned. The market had fewer fruits and vegetables. I had my fill of tomatoes and onions. I’d have to take bucket baths as there was often no water for my shower. I did get quite adept at using only half a bucket.
There were family compounds in the field behind my house. During the dry season, with no farming, they worked on the compounds fixing the clay walls and the thatched roofs. During the night, we could hear drums and sometimes the stamping of feet as they danced the traditional FraFra dance. I always felt lucky to live in the Upper Region where tradition was always respected. Once in a while I’d even dance.
I always felt lucky to live in the Upper Region where tradition was always respected. Once in a while I’d even dance.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: dry season, Ghana, harmattan, Peace Corps
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
February 9, 2025 at 12:08 am
Hi Kat,
Well the high temperature today hit 88° under clear skies. Of course, a cold front came through about three o’clock and the temperature started dropping.
I did something unusual today, I bought myself a new car. It’s a 2025 Honda HR-V. I splurged and bought the top of the line version. I suspect this will probably be my last car. My previous Honda Accord Coupe was a 2013 model but it only had approximately 86,000 miles. I wanted all the latest safety features. If I keep this car as long as my previous one, I will be 90 and maybe by then I shouldn’t be driving. 🙂
Usually my better half hates negotiating, or even going to purchase a car. But, she came along this time, and she’s a darn tough negotiator. After we agreed on the price and the trade in, she and my daughter went home. I had to stay and complete the transaction and write the check.
I always enjoy your stories about Ghana and the Peace Corps. I hope that the orange man’s billionaire bro, doesn’t kill that organization along with USAID. He not only takes pleasure screwing the poor, the disadvantaged, the LBGTQ community, and the disabled here, but all over the world. In Yiddish there’s a word that describes him perfectly, “Putz”. The putz is the male body part which is the small head found on the male organ. It’s the one that most men who voted for him were using while casting their ballots at the polls. 😦
February 9, 2025 at 3:03 am
Hi Bob,
I read an article once which said the Peace Corps is the best bang for the buck because it is grass roots and not tied to any government agency. They even warned us to stay away from the embassy, but we did have to go there occasionally as we got $24 a month as the worth of two vacation days a month, and it was a government check which had to be cashed at the embassy.
The car I have now, a Toyota Camry, is the first new car I bought as the others were used. It is 10 years old with only 35,000 miles. Being retired means far less driving.
It is 29 right now, 3 AM, and snowing. The snow started around midnight. I have heard the plow twice which is an omen as they don’t usually plow this early so they are expecting inches and inches.